


it's never been a secret

by philindas



Category: Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. (TV)
Genre: F/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-11-27
Updated: 2016-11-27
Packaged: 2018-09-02 11:36:26
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,817
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/8666056
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/philindas/pseuds/philindas
Summary: How Melinda's pregnancy is revealed to each member of their team (and how they reveal it to their Director).





	

**Author's Note:**

> This is silly and pointless but also pure fluff because I needed it! Set a little time in the future.

_I. Jemma_

It’s not that they don’t want to tell people. And it’s not that they aren’t happy about it- in fact, they’re both over the moon about the little plastic stick showing a plus sign. But it still doesn’t quite feel real, even eight weeks later, so they just…wait. To see who figures it out- or rather, how long they can keep it a secret. (There may be a bet in place. Possibly.)

She’s at around twelve weeks when she gets injured in the field for the first time- it’s not huge, just a bullet graze to the bicep, but it’s bleeding a lot and hurts like a bitch. Phil takes her to the med bay, and Jemma meets them there, supplies to stitch up the wound and a small bottle of pills in hand. They’re the only ones in the room- all of SHIELD knows what an uncooperative patient Agent May is, and for that she’s grateful.

“I know you hate them, but this is going to hurt- you should take the Percocet,” Jemma says, nudging the bottle in her direction before she snaps on a pair of gloves.

Melinda looks at Phil, meeting his eyes before she swallows, shaking her head. “I can’t.”

“May,” Jemma’s voice is exasperated as she fills a syringe with lidocaine to numb the area. “I know you hate them, but it’ll help me stitch this up faster if you take them.”

“I can’t take narcotics, Jemma,” Melinda cuts her off before she can say more. “I’m pregnant.”

The biochemist’s lips part in shock at her words, a few drops of liquid dripping off the needle as her fingers unconsciously tighten. Melinda can’t help the soft smile, and her free hand finds Phil’s, squeezing. “Oh, I’m- well, congratulations, how far along are you?”

“I just passed twelve weeks,” she tells her, wincing a little as Jemma cleans the graze.

“Well I don’t think this wound should affect the fetus at all- it’s not a lot of blood loss and as long as you keep it clean it shouldn’t get infected,” Jemma tells her, carefully starting to stitch together the wound. Melinda barely flinches, though her grip of Phil’s hand tightens. Jemma keeps her gaze on her work, her voice soft. “You haven’t told anyone yet.”

“We’d appreciate if you kept it quiet,” Melinda answers, turning her head to look at Phil. “It’s still early and we’re just being cautious.”

“Well I think it’s wonderful,” Jemma tells her, smiling warmly at the both of them before she finishes the final few stitches and covers the reddened skin with a gauze bandage. “There’s a numbing cream I can give you since pain meds are out of the question- though you can alternate Tylenol and Motrin to sleep, if the pain is too much.”

“Thank you, Jemma,” Melinda says, reaching over and squeezing her hand gently. “I appreciate you letting us tell everyone when we’re ready.”

“Of course. Please let me know if you need anything,” the scientist tells them, touching Phil’s arm lightly before she leaves them.

She turns back just in time to see Coulson press a kiss to May’s forehead- the older woman sags against him, hands at his waist, her head sinking against his chest. It’s a quiet, soft image, and Jemma treasures the rarity of it as she slips away quietly.

_II. Mack_

He’s not snooping.

He just knows that Coulson keeps a few extra icyhot patches in his bag, and his shoulder has been killing him since his last sparring session with Daisy. He’s rooting around when he pulls out a patch- and the picture stuck to it. He peels it off, meaning to place it back when he realizes it’s not an actually picture.

Frowning, he takes a closer look- it takes flipping it to understand what it is, and his eyes widen.

The sound of footsteps startles him, and he stands, raising an eyebrow when Coulson walks in. Mack holds up the patch and the ultrasound questioningly. “Something you’re not telling me, boss?”

Phil’s shoulders drop a little as he takes the ultrasound picture, placing it carefully in his wallet before he answers. “Melinda’s pregnant. A little over three months.”

Mack’s lips part in surprise before he claps Phil’s shoulder. “Congrats, Coulson.”

“Thanks, Mack,” Phil replies, lips curving into a wry smile as his fingers touch the outside of his wallet. “We’re keeping it to ourselves, just for the next few weeks- will you…?”

He trails off, but Mack nods, squeezing his shoulder. “Of course. I’m happy for you guys.”

Phil’s lips quirk as he slips his wallet back into his pocket.

“You haven’t told anyone yet?” Mack asks, and Phil shakes his head, sitting down on the bed and rubbing the back of his neck.

“It’s high risk, because of our age, so we’re just being cautious,” he answers, voice tired. “We’re over the moon about it, and we want to share it, but we’re nervous. This…we never thought we’d have this. It doesn’t seem real, still.”

Mack sits beside him, clapping a hand on his shoulder.

“I can’t think of any two people who deserve this more than you and May,” he tells him, drawing a smile from Coulson. “It’ll all work out. You’ve both been through enough, I think.”

“Thanks, Mack,” Phil replies, his shoulders looking less tense. His phone rings draws his attention, and his lips curl into a smile as he looks at the screen. “It’s Melinda, I should take this.”

“Tell her I said congrats,” Mack says as he leaves the room- Phil nods, holding the phone to his ear. He goes to leave the room, looking over his shoulder just in time to see Coulson’s lips curl into a bright, genuine smile at whatever May was saying on the other end.

_III. Fitz_

“Agent May!” Fitz catches her as she walks past the lab, drawing her in. It’s late- later than either of them should really still be there, but she’d been finished paperwork, and Fitz always works late when Jemma’s away on assignment. She follows him into the otherwise empty lab to where he has an odd-looking gun on a table.

“You should be getting home, Fitz,” Melinda chides gently, and Fitz shakes his head.

“I’ve been working on this, didn’t even realize the time,” he tells her, and she can’t help but smile softly.

“What is it?” she asks, looking at the gun that had a screen affixed to the back of it- realizing after a moment it wasn’t really a gun, as it didn’t have a barrel, but instead a laser pointed looking end. “It isn’t a gun.”

“No- it’s a small x-ray based gun, to help in the field. Imagine only having to carry this, rather than the equipment we have to now?” he asked, frowning when Melinda carefully pushed the gun away from her. “Something wrong?”

“I’d rather not touch anything involving x-rays. Especially untested. No offense,” she says apologetically, and Fitz frowns.

“Why don’t you want to touch anything involving x-rays?” he asked, clearly confused, and Melinda’s eyes widened.

“Oh- I assumed Jemma would have told you. I’m pregnant,” she tells him softly, smiling, and Fitz’s jaw drops a little before he recovers himself.

“Oh, well- congrats, May, I’m happy for you,” he stumbles a little over his words, and she squeezes his forearm gently. “Coulson’s pleased, I hope?”

“He’s nervous but happy,” she tells him, the slightest trace of color touching her cheeks. “We’re keeping it quiet, just for a few more weeks.”

“My lips are sealed,” he tells her, offering a smile. “It really is great, May. Jemma and I are here if you need anything.”

“We appreciate that,” she replies, moments before her phone went off. Her lips curled upwards before she looked at Fitz. “I have to take this. Go home and get some sleep, Fitz. Jemma will be home tomorrow.”

“Goodnight, May,” Fitz calls as she heads out of the lab, phone to her ear. She’s walking out the door when she gives the softest laugh- a sound so uncommon it stops Fitz in his tracks, but the joy on her face is plain, and he realizes _this_ is May’s natural state. It’s a rather nice realization.

_IV. Elena_

“May, I have lunch,” Melinda looks up at Elena’s voice from the paperwork she has spread out on the table. “Take a break, you’ve been in here all morning.”

“Fine, I could eat,” Melinda tells her, getting up and following the brunette into the kitchen. Spread out on the counter is an array of sushi, all from Melinda’s favorite shop a few towns over.

“I know it’s your favorite,” Elena tells her, practically beaming with pride, and Melinda’s heart warms at her newest charge.

“Thank you, Elena,” she tells the younger woman, smiling softly. “I really appreciate this. But I…can’t eat it.”

Elena frowns, opening her mouth to speak, but Melinda leans forward, touching her hand.

“I’m pregnant. I can’t eat raw seafood,” she tells her in a low voice- they’re alone in the kitchen, but that may not last. Elena’s eyes widen, and Melinda can’t help but smile a little. “We haven’t told anyone yet.”

“Felicitaciones,” Elena murmurs, hugging Melinda briefly- she barely flinches, hugging the woman back. “How far along?”

“Nearly four months,” Melinda answers, a hand unconsciously covering her lower stomach. Elena’s smile softened.

“And Agent Coulson?” she asked, drawing a slight flush from Melinda.

“Happy, nervous, overprotective,” Melinda replies, rolling her eyes and pulling a laugh from Elena.

“Well your secret is safe with me,” she reassures the older woman- there’s a blur and a slight breeze as Elena scraps the sushi and pulls out the ingredients for grilled cheese. “So no sushi, but I make a mean sandwich and tomato soup.”

“Sounds great, Elena,” Melinda says, sitting down at the breakfast bar with a glass of water. “So tell me, how is LA? I always wanted to live there.”

Elena turns on the stove and starts to talk, just in time for Phil to walk in. His face softens at the sight of Melinda, kissing the side of her head when Elena had her back turned.

“Sit down, Coulson. I’m making grilled cheese,” Elena says over her shoulder, drawing a smile from him. “And I know you are the kind of man who keeps ultrasounds in his wallet, so show me.”

Melinda laughs as Phil looks bewildered, leaning over to kiss his cheek.

_V. Daisy_

It’s nice, to spar with May again.

She can’t believe she’s admitting it, but she’d missed training. She’d missed SHIELD. She’d missed _home_.

May is going easy on her- Daisy can tell. It’s barely noticeable, but she’d spent months training with her former SO every single morning. She can tell when May isn’t putting everything she can into sparring.

“Getting rusty?” Daisy quips, blowing a strand of hair out of her face when she dodges another of May’s blows. May quirks an eyebrow, lips tugging into a smile, and Daisy laughs.

May dodges most of her blows, especially any aimed at her body, and Daisy pushes just a little harder. They’ve got a good pace and a decently smooth rhythm going when Daisy lands a decent kick to May’s knee, forcing her to sprawl out onto her back. She pauses, catching her breath, and Daisy frowns when she stays down for longer than usual.

“Hey, everything okay? Did I hit you too hard?” Daisy asked, worry in her voice, and the older woman shook her head, letting Daisy pull her to her feet.

“It’s fine, you just knocked the wind out of me,” Melinda tells her, reaching up to brush a piece of sweaty hair from her face. “It’s easier to do that these days, it’s part of being pregnant.”

“Wait, pregnant?” Daisy’s lips part, and May can’t help but laugh softly. “Oh my god, is this why you’ve been sleeping later and you switched teas?”

May nods, letting Daisy hug her after the girl lets out a soft squeal, shaking her head fondly. “We haven’t told people just yet, we’re waiting.”

“How far along are you?” Daisy asks, and May takes her gloves off.

“I just hit four months,” she answers, unable to help the smile her lips curl into. Daisy steps back a little, turning May on her side and squinting. “What on earth are you doing?”

“Trying to tell if you’re showing,” Daisy replies, and May rolls her eyes, pushing her away.

“I won’t show for another few weeks or so,” May informs her, bending to pick up her water bottle. “At least, according to my mother. Then I’ll just blow up.”

“Well that’s some pretty imagery,” Daisy tells her, grinning. “So how do you feel?”

“I feel good. It’s…strange,” May answers, shrugging her shoulders. “I’m not as tired anymore, but I can smell absolutely everything, it’s terrible.”

“Is that why AC has stopped wearing that cologne Jemma got him for Christmas?” Daisy asked, and May nodded. “Oh my god, you’re why he sneaks coffee now.”

“He thinks I can’t smell it on his breath even when he brushes his teeth,” May wrinkles her noise, and Daisy can’t help but laugh. “He wants to get married, before the baby is born.”

“What do you want to do?” Daisy asked, and May’s eyebrows furrowed.

“I love him,” she says it so simply it catches Daisy off guard. “I’ve loved him for a long time. And I knew, when we got together, marriage would be something we talked about- it’s just the way Phil is built. And we’re having a baby; making a family. It would be nice for it to be something official.”

“You don’t have to be married to be a family,” Daisy reminds her, and May smiles.

“I know,” she replies, wrapping her arm around the younger woman’s shoulders. “I liked being married. And it wouldn’t be so bad, our kid with the last name Coulson.”

“It’s a good name,” Daisy murmurs, smiling. Coulson is waiting for them outside the showers, and Daisy hugs him tightly- he raises an eyebrow at May over her shoulder, and she shrugs, discreetly rubbing her thumb over her belly. His eyes lit up, and he hugged Daisy a little tighter. “Congrats, AC. You’re gonna be a great dad.”

“Thanks, Daisy,” Phil’s smile is soft, and Daisy squeezes Melinda’s arm once more before she slipped into the showers, leaving them. “That’s all the kids.”

“Might be time to put in for leave,” she replies, hands on his chest. “I’m past 20 weeks now.”

“If you’re ready, I am,” is Phil’s answer, and she smiles, reaching up on her tiptoes to kiss him softly.

_VI. Mace_

Jeffrey Mace was a busy man. But when Melinda May requested a meeting with him, he pushed things around to see her.

He’s so used to her in black that when she comes in in purple, he’s already off balance. She has a stack of papers in her hand, and she places them in front of her before she sits across from him at the conference table.

“You’re applying for…maternity leave?” he asks, reading over the papers and raising an eyebrow. She just nods, gesturing towards the papers.

“In about five months, yes,” she elaborates. “And a request to live off base. I have an apartment.”

“Well, congratulations, Agent May,” he says, stunned. “I have no issue with approving both requests, do you have any thoughts on your replacement to train the recruits?”

“Sharon Carter. It would be good to have a Carter back with SHIELD,” Melinda tells him before she stands. “Thank you, Director.”

She leaves without another word, and he’s still reeling from it when Phil knocks on his office door.

“Phil! Come on in,” he says, inviting the other man in. He’s carrying a stack of papers, and he places them on his desk.

“Off base housing request,” he tells him, and Mace raises an eyebrow. “And paternity leave request, for about five months from now.”

Mace’s lips part before his brows furrow.

“Daisy would be a good replacement for me as Mack’s partner,” Phil adds before he can speak again, hands shoving into his pockets. Mace nods, shrugging as he sits back in his chair.

“It’s strange, May sent in the same requests,” he shook his head, smiling. “Good to see my top agents having lives outside the agency. But I always thought it would be you two, you know.”

Phil just raises an eyebrow, an amusement Mace can’t understand in his face.

“You and half the agency,” he replies. “May want to take a look at that address paperwork again, sir.”

Phil leaves, and Mace frowns, look at the two sheets of paper. It takes a moment, but then it all comes crashing down around his ears. It’s the same address.

“Son of a-”


End file.
